# Reading and eye-hand coordination in amblyopic children

> **NIH NIH R00** · RETINA FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTHWEST · 2020 · $71,415

## Abstract

Program Director/Principal Investigator (Last, First, Middle): Kelly, Krista, Rose
PROJECT SUMMARY (See instructions):
 Amblyopia is the most common cause of monocular vision impairment among children, affecting 2 or 3 of
every 100 children. Amblyopia commonly results when there is binocularly discordant input associated
 with strabismus or anisometropia during visual development. Sensory and ocular motor deficits are
 well-established in the amblyopia literature. The functional consequences of amblyopia on the developing
 visuocognitive and visuomotor systems are less known. Initial studies show slow reading and poor fine
motor ability in amblyopic children and adults, even when they have one eye with normal visual acuity
 under binocular viewing conditions. Yet, causes of these impairments remain poorly understood.
Strabismic and anisometropic children, with or without amblyopia, between the ages of 4-12 years will be
enrolled and compared to a group of normal control children. Four projects will be conducted in these
groups of children. Eye movements during reading will be evaluated using the EyeLink 1000 binocular eye
tracking system, and temporal eye-hand coordination during visually-guided reach-to-point and during
 visually-guided precision grasp will be evaluated using the EyeLink 1000 and the LEAP Motion capture
 device. These studies will determine how sensory deficits (visual acuity, stereoacuity, suppression), ocular
 motor dysfunction (gaze instability, abnormal saccades), and deficits in visual planning and guidance of
 hand movements affect reading, reaching, and grasping in amblyopic children under binocular conditions.
Data from the proposed experiments will determine the consequences of abnormal visual experience
 during development on the visuocognitive and visuomotor systems, provide information on sensory and
 motor integration during maturation, and aid in determining more effective amblyopia treatments and
academic accommodations that allow amblyopic children to thrive.
RELEVANCE (See instructions):
 Amblyopic children read slowly and have fine motor impairments. This project will evaluate factors
 associated with these deficits. These data will determine the effects of abnormal visual experience on
 developing visuocognitive and visuomotor systems, and will guide the design of school accommodations
 and interventions to promote academic success,and potentially open a new avenue for amblyopia
 treatment to surmount obstacles to proficient reading and adept visuomotor skills.
PROJECT/PERFORMANCE SITE(S) (if additional space is needed, use Project/Performance Site Format Page)
Project/Performance Site Primary Location
Organizational Name: Retina Foundation of the Southwest
DUNS: 127069466
Street 1: 9600 North Central Expressway Street 2: Suite #200
City: Dallas County: USA State: Texas
Province: Country: Zip/Postal Code: 75206
Project/Performance Site Congressional Districts: TX-032
Additional Project/Performance Site Locatio...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10078433
- **Project number:** 3R00EY028224-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** RETINA FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTHWEST
- **Principal Investigator:** Krista Rose Kelly
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $71,415
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10078433

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10078433, Reading and eye-hand coordination in amblyopic children (3R00EY028224-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10078433. Licensed CC0.

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